Family Of The Year just dropped their new EP, Where’s The Sun
Now, I’ve known about Family Of The Year for a while now, but when I heard there was actually an EP coming out, needless to say, I was pretty excited. It’s just really good, uncomplicated art. If The Polyphonic Spree slimmed down from 429 members to 5, that’s the kind of music that we’re dealing with here.
kicks off the EP with a poppy, acoustic-driven singalong. Handclaps and a shaker really make it feel like you’re sitting around a warm campfire on a crisp night…just having a genuinely good time.
The vocal harmonies really tie together the entire album as a package deal.
really highlights the huge vocal sound that Family Of The Year can get, even on such a minimally arranged song.
My most favorite song on the EP,
, is skillfully fronted by Vanessa Jeanne Long. It’s a sultry, smoky mess that perfectly communicates the pain of the breakup. Vanessa’s vocal grit really piles on the desperation in the song. However, James Buckey’s “barely working Fender Twin”-sounding solo (along with the slide work all throughout) delivers the final blow, pulling the song inescapably into a Reno-dive-bar-I-want-to-drink-until-my-liver-punches-me-in-the-face vibe.
Long story short, you need to get this album. They’re sure to take off in a big way after some of the upcoming shows that are scheduled. They are going to be playing an opening date for Ben Folds and the Boston Pops this weekend (October 2, 2009), and then going on tour with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros shortly thereafter, with dates in California, Tucson, Austin, Dallas, and Birmingham (November 3-9, 2009).
Link to this page
Chris enjoys candlelight dinners, kittens, and long walks on the beach. Okay, not really, but he does like being in Houston to check out new bands in the great indie rock band scene. 
